The Sound of Paint Drying

£7.99

Hegley, John

25/06/2009
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Paperback
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ISBN: 9780413731807

About
The Sound of Paint Drying

The magnificent new collection – now in paperback – from one of Britain's most popular poets.

John Hegley, poet, comedian and performer extraordinaire, is one of Britain's best-loved poets, presenting his work sell-out shows in major venues around the country. His new collection brings together many of his trademark themes – dogs, glasses, Luton – and joins them with a remarkable, moving and funny series of meditations, poems and stories on the parent child-relationship, from John's response to his father to John's daughter's response to him. With a striking cover – a painting by John's father that also formed the stage backdrop to his new tour – and a host of brilliant illustrations, The Sound of Paint Drying marks a new maturity of achievement, and is guaranteed to be another bestseller for writer who is one of our national treasures and pleasures.

John describes the book thus: 'a collection of poems, sketches, songs, stories and diary entries which date back to my days in a Luton bungalow. More recently documented are my travels to Australia, Cyprus, Columbia, Thailand and France. The French trip, which was recorded for BBC Radio 4, was stimulated by a painting of old Nice made by my father in 1931. It was my self-appointed task to find the scene and paint my own version. The travels are littered with ordinary things painted large: potatoes, facecloths, blancmange, throat sweets, and litter.'

John Hegley performs live in venues all over Britain, including London's Hackney and Bloomsbury Theatres, at the Edinburgh Festival, and recently in New Zealand and Australia. He appears on television and radio and his poems are featured regularly in The Guardian. He has published five volumes of poetry. His various media appearances include Wogan, Ross, Anderson, a mention on Brookside, two John Peel sessions with musical outfit The Popticians, They Think It's All Over and a host of others. He has also been the subject of a BBC Radio 4 series Hearing With Hegley.

Author(s)

John Hegley

John Hegley performs live at venues all over Britain, including at the Edinburgh Festival. He appears on television and radio and his poems are featured regularly in The Guardian. He has published numerous volumes of poetry.

His various media appearances include Wogan, Ross, Anderson, a mention on Brookside, two John Peel sessions with musical outfit The Popticians, They Think It's All Over and a host of others. He has also been the subject of a BBC Radio 4 series Hearing With Hegley.

He has been awarded an honorary Doctorate of Letters from the University of Luton, in which town he grew up. He accompanies some of his verses on the mandolin. He has worked on buses and in a social security office, a hospital and a rag-cleaning factory, but it is the theatre he loves best.

Reviews

"Comedy's poet laureate" The Independent

'Hegley is that literary rarity - a successful poet'

The Guardian

'John Hegley is a joy, technically deft and delightfully silly'

The Daily Telegraph

'Guerrilla wordsmith to the bold and beautiful, John Hegley crafts poetry which is deceptively simple; wisely foolish; funnily particular, and peculiarly funny'